Double-pivot folding knife

ABSTRACT

A folding knife having a handle, a blade pivotably coupled to the handle, and a liner includes a liner lock and a first pivot member that is a post, pin, rod, or other structure having a shape adapted to be slidably received in the second arcuate opening of the blade. The liner further includes a first arcuate opening that has an enlarged end portion and an axis approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the handle adapted for slidably receiving the second pivot member of the blade. A tang of the blade includes the second pivot member, and the second arcuate opening that has an enlarged end portion and an axis approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of the blade. An extended tang portion, or flipper, extends downward from the tang. The handle also includes an opposing liner arranged alongside the liner in the handle with the blade positioned therebetween.

RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/415,943 filed on 31 Mar. 2009, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,186,065, the disclosure of which is incorporated, in its entirety, by this reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention pertains to cutlery and knives.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Description of the Related Art

FIG. 1 shows a typical fixed-blade knife 100, including a handle 102 and a blade 104. The length of the blade 104 is shown at B₁, while the length of the handle 102 is indicated at H₁. It can be seen that, in the example illustrated, the blade 104 is longer than the handle 102.

FIG. 2 shows a typical folding knife 200, including a handle 202 and a blade 204. A portion of the handle 202 is shown transparently to show the tang of the blade 204 and the pivot member 208 coupling the blade 204 to the handle 202, and around which the blade 204 rotates to fold into the handle 202. It will be recognized that, in order for the blade 204 to fold into the handle 202, the portion of the blade 204 between the pivot member 208 and the blade point, indicated at B₂, must be no longer than the portion of the handle 202 between the pivot member 208 and the heel 205 of the handle 202, indicated at H₂. If B₂ were longer than H₂, the point of the blade would extend beyond the heel 205 of the handle 202 while the knife 200 was folded.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a typical fixed blade knife.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a typical folding knife.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a certain embodiment of a folding knife of the present invention in the extended position.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a certain embodiment of a folding knife of the present invention in the folded position.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of the components of a certain embodiment of a folding knife of the present invention.

FIGS. 6A-E are illustrations of a certain embodiment of a folding knife of the present invention in positions ranging from the folded position to the extended position.

FIGS. 7A-E are illustrations of another embodiment of a folding knife of the present invention in positions ranging from the folded position to the extended position.

FIGS. 8A-E are illustrations of another embodiment of a folding knife of the present invention in positions ranging from the folded position to the extended position.

FIGS. 9A-E are illustrations of another embodiment of a folding knife of the present invention in positions ranging from the folded position to the extended position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A limitation of prior art folding knives is that the length of the blade is limited by the length of the handle, in the relationship described in the background.

FIG. 3 shows a folding knife 300 according to an embodiment of the invention in the extended position, including a handle 302 and a blade 304 pivotably coupled to the handle 302. Comparing a length of the portion of the blade 304 between a pivot member 308 and the blade point, indicated at B₃, with a length of the portion of the handle 302 between the pivot member 308 and the heel 305 of the handle, indicated at H₃, it can be seen that, in the pictured embodiment, B₃ is longer than H₃. FIG. 4 shows the folding knife 300 according to an embodiment of the invention in the folded position.

In the description of this and other embodiments, reference to pivot members will be substantially generic i.e., a post, pin, rod, or other fixture having a shape of the pictured aperture is positioned in each aperture. Referring now to FIG. 5, a liner 306 portion of the handle 302, and blade 304 of the knife 300 are shown. The liner 306 includes a liner lock 326 such as is known in the art. The liner 306 also includes a first pivot member 308, which is a post, pin, rod, or other structure having a shape adapted to be slidably received in a second arcuate opening 316 of the blade 304. The liner 306 further includes a first arcuate opening 312 that has an enlarged end portion 314 and an axis approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the handle 302. The first arcuate opening 312 is adapted for slidably receiving the second pivot member 310 of the blade 304.

A tang 320 of the blade 304 includes a second pivot member 310, and the second arcuate opening 316 that has an enlarged end portion 318 and an axis approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of the blade 304. An extended tang portion, or flipper 322, extends downward from the tang 320 as shown in FIG. 5. The handle 302 also includes an opposing liner (not shown) arranged alongside the liner 306 in the handle 302 with the blade 304 positioned therebetween. A backspacer or other means for holding the liners in a spaced-apart relationship is also included, though not shown herein. With the exception of the liner lock 326, features of the opposing liner are substantially identical to those described with reference to liner 306, and one of ordinary skill will understand the structure and operation of the folding knife 300 through a description of the structure and relationship of the liner 306 and blade 304.

The blade 304 is shown in broken lines to assist in differentiating the blade 304 from the liner 306 in figures that follow. Where the features of the blade 304 are small enough that details might be lost in broken lines, the features are shown in solid lines, while the leader lines from reference numbers are still broken. The first and second pivot members 308, 310 are represented in the figures as apertures formed in the respective components. It will be understood that a post, pin, rod, or other fixture having a shape of the pictured aperture is positioned in each aperture.

Turning now to FIG. 6A, the blade 304 is shown in the folded position relative to the liner 306. The first pivot member 308 extends between the liner 306 and the opposing liner and traverses the second arcuate opening 316 formed in the blade 304. The first pivot member 308 may also extend to the outside of the handle 302, and may have an enlarged head at one end (not shown), and threads (not shown) at the other, to receive a nut or other fastener, in a manner known in the art. The second pivot member 310 extends outward from the blade 304 to the liners and engages the first arcuate opening 312. The first and second pivot members, 308 and 310, respectively, are shaped such that they can rotate only while positioned, respectively, in the enlarged end portions 318, 314 of the second and first arcuate openings 316, 312.

In FIG. 6A, it can be seen that the first pivot member 308 is positioned in the enlarged end portion 318 of the second arcuate opening 316, while the second pivot member 310 is positioned away from the enlarged end portion 314 of the first arcuate opening 312. Accordingly, when the blade 304 is moved away from the closed position shown in FIG. 6A, it rotates on the first pivot member 308 while the second pivot member 310 slides in the first arcuate opening 312, as shown in FIG. 6B. Movement of the blade 304 is easily accomplished by a user by pressing inward (towards liner 306) on the flipper 322.

Referring now to FIG. 6C, the blade 304 has been moved approximately halfway from the closed position, as shown in FIG. 6A, toward the open position as shown in FIG. 6E. The second pivot member 310 has entered the enlarged end portion 314 of the first arcuate opening 312, and the blade 304 cannot rotate further on the first pivot member 308. However, at this point in the rotation, the first pivot member 308 is now aligned with the second arcuate opening 316 so that, as the blade 304 is moved further toward the open position, the blade 304 smoothly transitions to rotation around the second pivot member 310 while the first pivot member 308 slides in the second arcuate opening 316, as shown in FIG. 6D. Finally, when the blade 304 fully reaches the open position, as pictured in FIG. 6E, the first pivot member 308 contacts the extreme end of the second arcuate opening 316, which limits further rotation, and the liner lock 326 engages the tang 320 of the blade 304, locking it in the open position.

By comparing FIGS. 6A and 6E, it can be seen that the enlarged end portion 318 of the second arcuate opening 316, which engages the first pivot member 308 while in the closed position, is moved outward from the handle 302 when the blade 304 is in the open position. In moving from the closed to the open position, the blade 304 has also moved this distance outward, and thus is lengthened accordingly.

A knife 700 according to another embodiment of the invention, is illustrated with reference to FIGS. 7A-7E. Because of the different structure of this embodiment, reference numbers are given 7xx prefixes. However, apart from the new prefixes, the numbers indicate the same or equivalent elements.

In this embodiment, the second pivot member 710 is positioned outside the handle, and so, while functioning as a pivot member, it also can function as a thumb stud and/or a stop pin. Accordingly, the end of the liner 706 (and associated handle 702), has an arcuate shape to function as described previously with reference to the first arcuate opening 312. Features 714, 728 of the end portion 712 of the handle serve to limit travel of the pivot member 710. In this embodiment, only the first pivot member 708 is “keyed,” i.e, shaped to limit movement within the second arcuate opening 716, to prevent rotation except while in the enlarged end portion 718.

An examination of FIGS. 7A-7E will show that in this embodiment the blade 704 rotates first on the second pivot pin 710 while the first pivot member 708 slides in the second arcuate opening 716, then rotates on the first pivot member 708 when the second pivot pin 710 reaches the end feature 714 of the liner 706 and the first pivot member 708 reaches the enlarged end portion 718 of the second arcuate opening 716, as shown in FIG. 7C.

Referring now to the embodiment of FIGS. 8A-8E, another embodiment is disclosed in which the first and second pivot members 808,818 are both round, and the first and second arcuate openings 812, 816 are without enlarged portions. The opening sequence depicted in the figures shows the blade 804 pivoting on the first pivot member 808, then the second pivot member 818. However, in this embodiment, because there is no keying of either pivot member 808, 818, the blade 804 may pivot on either pivot member 808, 818, or both pivot members 808, 818 simultaneously.

FIGS. 9A-9E show a knife 900 according to a further embodiment of the invention. It can be seen that each of the first and second arcuate openings 912, 916 includes an extension 920, 924, such that, when the blade 904 has been fully rotated toward the open position, as shown in FIG. 9E, it can then extend further outward the length of the extension, such that the lengthening of the blade 904 during extension is further increased.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A folding knife, comprising: a handle having first and second ends and a first pivot member positioned at the second end; a blade having a second pivot member at a first end of the blade and a ground face, the ground face defining a face plane, the first end of the blade being mounted to the second end of the handle when the folding knife is assembled for use, the blade being rotatable about the first and second pivot members solely within a rotation plane generally parallel to the face plane between an open position and a closed position, wherein the handle comprises an aperture having first and second stop surfaces, the second pivot member contacting one of the first and second stop surfaces when the blade is rotated into one of the open position and the closed position.
 2. The folding knife of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second stop surfaces comprises an enlarged portion of the aperture.
 3. The folding knife of claim 1, the aperture further comprising an extension portion extending from one of the first and second stop surfaces of the aperture.
 4. A folding knife, comprising: a handle having first and second ends and a first pivot member positioned at the second end; a blade having a second pivot member at a first end of the blade and a ground face, the ground face defining a face plane, the first end of the blade being mounted to the second end of the handle when the folding knife is assembled for use, the blade being rotatable about the first and second pivot members solely within a rotation plane generally parallel to the face plane between an open position and a closed position, wherein the blade comprises an aperture having first and second stop surfaces, the first pivot member contacting one of the first and second stop surfaces when the blade is rotated into one of the open position and the closed position.
 5. The folding knife of claim 4, wherein one of the first and second stop surfaces comprises an enlarged portion of the aperture.
 6. The folding knife of claim 4, the aperture further comprising an extension portion extending from one of the first and second stop surfaces of the aperture.
 7. A folding knife, comprising: a handle having a first pivot member and a first arcuate shaped slot; a blade having a second pivot member and a second arcuate shaped slot; wherein the first pivot member moves along the second arcuate shaped slot and the second pivot member moves along the first arcuate shaped slot when the blade rotates between opened and closed positions.
 8. The folding knife of claim 7, wherein the first and second pivot members extend in a direction perpendicular to a length dimension of at least one of the handle and the blade.
 9. The folding knife of claim 7, wherein the first and second arcuate shaped slots overlap as the blade rotates between opened and closed positions.
 10. The folding knife of claim 7, wherein the first arcuate shaped slot extends along an end surface of the handle.
 11. The folding knife of claim 7, wherein the first and second arcuate shaped slots each comprise first and second ends, at least one of the first and second ends of each of first and second arcuate shaped slots having an enlarged end opening.
 12. A folding knife, comprising: a handle having a first pivot member and a first slot; a blade having a second pivot member and a second slot; wherein the first pivot member is configured to move along the second slot in a first rotation direction and the second pivot member moves along the first slot in a second rotation direction, which is opposite the first rotation direction, when the blade rotates between closed and opened positions.
 13. The folding knife of claim 12, wherein the first rotation direction is counter clockwise and the second rotation direction is clockwise.
 14. The folding knife of claim 12, wherein the first pivot member is configured to maintain a fixed position in the second slot while the second pivot member moves along the first slot to a first stop position, and the second pivot member is configured to maintain the first stop position while the first pivot member moves along the second slot to a second stop position when the blade rotates to the opened position.
 15. The folding knife of claim 14, wherein the second pivot member is configured to maintain the first stop position while the first pivot member moves along the second slot to a third stop position, and the first pivot member is configured to maintain the third stop position while the second pivot member moves along the first slot to a fourth stop position when the blade rotates to the closed position.
 16. The folding knife of claim 12, wherein the first and second slots are arcuate shaped.
 17. A knife, comprising: a handle having first and second ends; and a blade having first and second ends and being coupled to the handle and configured to rotate about a plurality of laterally spaced-apart parallel axes positioned at the first end of the handle between an open position and a closed position.
 18. The knife of claim 17, wherein the handle comprises a first slot positioned at the first end of the handle, and one of the plurality of parallel axes is positioned within the first slot.
 19. The knife of claim 18, wherein the blade comprises a second slot, and one of the plurality of parallel axes not positioned within the first slot is positioned within the second slot.
 20. The knife of claim 19, wherein each of the plurality of parallel axes is defined by a pivot member. 